


Becoming Shepard

by tortugagrl2012



Series: Life of Bella Shepard [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-04-28 03:25:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5075974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tortugagrl2012/pseuds/tortugagrl2012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life before Mass Effect 1</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok…so this is my first fanfic. I'm not sure how it will turn out but I have some different ideas in mind for my Shepard. This will become a series going through the game series. While somethings are going to stay close to cannon, I plan to make more changes to cannon when I get to Mass Effect 2. I plan to work on this on the weekends but I'm also planning my wedding so things could get a little crazy for me. Feedback is always welcome :)

Hannah stood over the hospital bed of her little baby girl with worry lines across her face. She never thought she would be in this situation again. Life is always full of surprises and not usually the good kind of surprises. She didn’t start out life so cold and negative but then again she has had to deal too much to be the positive person she once was. 

When Hannah was pregnant with Isabella, she was exposed to Element Zero. She was on duty and there was a core malfunction on the ship she was serving on. It was suppose to be the last run before she went on maternity leave. While the exposure was limited, Hannah was doing rounds and got caught in the blast. She was rushed to the doctor and while they could treat the eezo exposure, they couldn’t give her much news on her baby. The doctors said that if her baby survived birth, there could be tumors or biotics could develop has her child grew.

That was the last time she felt this helpless. Her daughter survived birth and Hannah named her Isabella Skipper Rossi. She was named after her great grandmother on her father’s side. Anthony Rossi was over the moon when Isabella was born. Hannah allowed her husband to pick the first name but only if she could pick the middle name. Anthony didn’t understand why Hannah picked Skipper. He thought it was a little strange until Hannah explained why it was so important. When Hannah was little, she loved these old Barbie dolls her mother had in the attic. Her parents passed away when she was 18 all she had left from the house fire was one of those Barbie dolls named Skipper.

Anthony was amazing with Isabella. He always wanted to be a dad and treated Isabella like a princess. Then Isabella had started to develop biotics and got into an accident. After the trip to the hospital, Anthony and Hannah had a huge fight. Anthony went on a mission and never came back. Isabella was only 6 when this happened. 

Here she is 7 years later, at the hospital once again, awaiting the bad news. Finally the doctor walks in.

“Hello, I am Doctor Chakwas. Sorry it took so long to get the results back. I wanted to have them double check them before I gave you any news.” she stated in an even tone. Hannah was worried and she prayed it was good news for once in her life.

“And?” Hannah asked

“And it seems that the second exposure has made her eezo glands expand. Normally a second exposure is fatal but because of the high exposure she survived as a baby, her body seems to be able to absorb this limited exposure. What this means, is that she will be a stronger biotic than she is now. Maybe the strongest human biotic ever. We will continue to monitor her for the next 12 hours. If she is still fine, we will take her out of stasis and see how she reacts”

“So she will be ok?” a little bit of hope cracked through her voice. Isabella was the only family she has left and if something happened to her, she would be all alone.

“Yes, although she will have to get an amp but should probably wait until she goes through at least puberty before doing so. She is already attending The Academy for Biotics correct?” Dr. Chakwas asked

“That is correct. She started a couple years ago when she started displaying biotic powers. Her school told me the same thing about waiting on the amp but could that hurt her?” Hannah asked. She guessed if she was going to have one of the strongest human biotic as a child, she needed to know more about what to expect.

“She is at a school that can control her minor flare up she has now. If they become more frequent we will have to readdress waiting. I believe we may be a couple years away from new amps coming out. The L2s are unstable and results vary. Meanwhile, if she has issues at home, here is some medication she can take to stabilize her flares.”

“Thank you Dr. Chakwas. I’m just so relieved that she will be ok.” Hannah shakes the doctor’s hand and the doctor leaves the room. Hannah falls into the chair and silently cries. 

 

3 Years Later

Hannah received a call from Isabella’s (or Bella as most people call her) school. They said that the L3s are finally out and have had some good results so far. They said that she had a massive flare today and it took most of the biotic instructors to control the flare. It is now or a bigger flare next time could hurt or kill someone. She has no choice but to call and make an appointment for Isabella to get her amp.

“Hello, I am calling for Dr. Chakwas.” she says when the receptionist answers the phone.

“Please hold while I transfer your call” a bubbly voice says. Too cheerful Hannah thought.

“This is Dr. Chakwas. How can I help you?”

“Hello Dr. Chakwas. This is Commander Hannah Shepard. You saw my daughter Isabella Rossi 3 years ago.”

“Yes, Commander Shepard, I remember Isabella. How is she doing?” 

“Actually that is why I called. Her school called today and said that she had so powerful of a flare up that it took all the instructors to control her. The medication effectiveness is starting to decrease and I am afraid if we don’t do it soon what will happen.”

“Oh dear. I knew that she would be strong but that is stronger than even I originally thought. How soon can you make it to the hospital? I would like to run some test before doing the surgery.”  
“We can be there in about an hour.”

“That is perfect. I will see you then.”

 

2 hours later

Dr. Chakwas was wheeling Isabella Rossi towards surgery. The amp had to go in today. Waiting was too dangerous especially with that kind of power.

“Isabella, I will be doing your surgery today. Do you have any questions?” Dr. Chakwas asked

“First, don’t call me Isabella. I hate that name. I go by Bella or Skipper.” Bella stated with a bit of anger.

“I’m sorry, I will note your file so that everyone calls you that from now on.” Dr. Chakwas tries to placate her.

“Whatever. Anyway, how long will I be out? Not just for the surgery but I have a game coming up and I don’t want to miss it!”

“Well the surgery will take about 3 hours if everything goes according to plan. You will need a couple days to recover. Depending on what kind of game....” Dr. Chakwas waited for Bella to answer.

“I am the team captain on my school’s Skyball team.” She stated proudly.

“Ah, Skyball. Ok well then I have bad news. I will not clear you to go back to Skyball for 3 weeks. You need time to get accustom to your biotics and learn how to control your powers.” Dr. Chakwas gives her intense Dr. stare just to make sure her message is heard by the teen.

“Man...this sucks! That is 3 games I have to miss. I will be letting my team down.” Bella Rossi says with a pout.

“Oh, quit pouting and I will tell you the good news” Dr. Chakwas stated

“What?”

“I have some contacts and basically The Academy for Biotics don’t have instructors who are going to be able to help you with control. So, I made arrangements, with your mother’s approval of course, to have you join a Commando Training class on Thessia.”

“REALLY!?!?! That is so cool! When do I leave?” Bella asked excitement bubbling over.  
“In a couple days, if you do what I say and follow all my orders!” Dr. Chakwas says in a tone that says this is not up for discussion.

“Okay, okay. I will follow all your orders.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella makes it to Thessia

Several days later

“I can’t believe that I am about to be on Thessia. This is so awesome! I don’t even mind that my mother was too busy to come with me. I am just glad that she didn’t say I couldn’t go.” Bella stated while bouncing in her seat. Dr. Chakwas was going with her to make sure she arrived to the compound safely but then has to go back for a mission.

“Yes. It is all very exciting but don’t forget the rules while you are here.” Dr. Chakwas seriously stated.

“I know. All the same rules as The Academy for Biotics apply plus no melding of any kind. We went over this a thousand times!”

“I just want to make sure we are clear. If you break the rules, I will have Anderson come get you! Just because your mother and I are busy, doesn’t mean you will get off scott free. Trust me when I say that while Anderson is nice, he also can be very strict. Don’t break the rules. That is my last warning!”

“Don’t worry! I will be fine.” Bella wasn’t use to seeing someone care this much. Her mother was always distant with her. Sure she guessed her mother loved her but they didn’t really talk. Duty was first and when Bella was little she understood but as a teen it is hard to deal with everything without having someone there to seek advice from. Dr. Chakwas seemed to care and was good at giving advice.

“I know. You are a strong person but you are also stubborn and a little rebellious.” Dr. Chakwas states with a smirk.

After they landed and got their baggage, Bella and Dr. Chakwas headed to the compound. Dr. Chakwas introduced her to Bella’s new instructor.

“Aria T’Loak, I would like you to meet Bella Rossi. She also goes by Skipper with some of her friends. Bella, I would like you to meet Aria T’Loak. She will be teaching you how to use your biotics and control your powers better. Listen to her and we already went over the rules. And Aria, watch yourself. I know what you are like and I don’t want Bella going back to her mother all corrupted by you. She is here for 2 weeks to learn as much as she can. She will probably be one of the strongest biotic humans have ever seen.” As Dr. Chakwas says this, Aria just rolls her eyes. Humans produce such weak biotics compared to asari that Aria was sure Dr. Chakwas was exaggerating the strength of Bella.

“Right. Well get some sleep Bella. Tomorrow will be telling.” Aria said as she directed her to Bella’s quarters during the stay.

Bella was just getting back to her bedroom after getting ready for bed when she saw her. Her skin was a light shade of blue instead of Aria’s purple and she had huge blue eyes. There was something about this asari that Bella couldn’t help but find pretty. When their eyes met, it was like Bella’s heart started fluttering. Bella just nodded and headed to her bedroom. Once there she could finally remember to breathe again.

 

Liara T’Soni

Liara stood in the hallway with her curiosity peaked. Who was that? Liara couldn’t ever remember meeting a human before. Although she hasn’t met this one either. What a strange reaction the human exhibited? Liara was always a little shy and she did know how to talk to humans. What if she said the wrong thing and offended this one? From what she could tell, this was a female human based on body type. She didn’t really understand their ages so she couldn’t place that. What was that stuff on top of her head? Wasn’t it called hair or something? The female had an interesting color of hair. It was brown with a blue streak by her face. She needed to do more research into humans. 

Liara wasn’t quite sure what to make of the exchange. Yes, the female human didn’t say anything but when their eyes met, Liara could feel like there was some kind of connection between them. The human’s eyes were so expressive but without more knowledge of human body language, she couldn’t be sure what message those eyes were trying to convey. If this human was anything like asari, then she was surprised at first by Liara. Quickly that surprise changed to something else. Liara wasn’t certain what exactly but the human’s face changed to an interesting shade of pink.

She didn’t have time for this foolishness. She was here to finish the training her mother required before her next dig. Her mother didn’t approve of her chosen field of study. Liara was fascinated with the Protheans extinction and couldn’t wait to finally get to go on a dig to do research. Up to this point, her mother did not believe that she was old enough to leave Thessia on her own. Liara pleaded with her mother and her mother finally agree but only if Liara could complete commando training. Her mother didn’t believe that she had the fortitude or work ethic to make it through the grueling training. She was a bookworm but that didn’t make her weak. As much as she hated physical workouts, she understood where her mother was coming from. If she were to go on a dig, she needed to be able to protect herself. While she knows the basics in biotics, this training would give her a better understanding of her biotics and new ways to use it. She doesn’t like the idea of using guns but knowing how to shoot one couldn’t hurt, right?

Not that Liara was thinking about that human but why was the human participating in commando training? Humans usually weren’t allowed on Thessia unless they were bonded to an asari. Even then, no human has ever been allowed to train with commandos. Humans have weak biotics in comparison to asari. Maybe there was something if they made an exception for this human. With more questions than answers, Liara went in search of Aria in hopes of getting some of her questions answered.

“Little Wing, to what do I owe this an unexpected visit? You should be in bed getting sleep for the start of training tomorrow.” Aria stated

“Aria, I wanted to know about that human I just ran into in the hall. I can’t sleep because I have so many questions.” Liara stated

“Ah, you’re curious about the human. I can’t tell you much because she just got here. Her name is Bella Rossi. She is here because she maybe one of the strongest human biotics. Humanity is still new to biotic training and nobody knows if they can control her if she has biotic flares.”

“How did she get into the commando training program on Thessia? I don’t remember any other human or species for that matter being allowed to participate in commando training.”

“Yeah, this is an exception. Her mother is in the Alliance and knows Dr. Chakwas who called in a favor.”

Liara waited for Aria to say more but that was all she said. “I get that you owed Dr. Chakwas but how did you convince the Matriarchy to allow Bella onto Thessia? Usually only bondmates are allowed on the Homeworld!”

“Little Wing, you have to learn to manipulate people into thinking it is their idea. Usually this is as easy as letting a certain Matriarch know the benefits of the plan. Even if they don’t admit to doing so, there are many times that Matriarchy will allow certain people what they want. Not sure if it is more out of blackmail by the Matriarch or just to keep her from arguing with everyone.”

“I don’t think I could do something like blackmail or argue publicly. I will stick with papers and maybe a book one day”

“Little do you know, Little Wing, what you are willing to do given the right motivation. You are only in your 90s. There is a long difficult life ahead of you. Being T’Soni heir and a pureblood, you are always going to have to protect yourself. Its hard to find people you can trust and when you do, keep them around. Alright, enough talk. It is time for you to get some sleep. Now tomorrow, I am not a friend of the family but your worst nightmare. I will not go easy on you. The harder I am, the more prepare you will be in life. Also, I have a certain rep to keep up, so out there we don’t know each other but you can always come to me if you have problems privately. I will only call you T’Soni and won’t be nice because that is how commando train. Understand?”

“Yes, Aria.”

“Good, now get out of my office!” Aria yells at her

Liara quickly exited Aria’s office. She wasn’t expecting to have the kind of conversation with Aria. Liara and Aria haven’t really been close but it was nice to have someone that cared a little about her. Sure, her mother cared but lately Liara felt that her mother and herself weren’t on the same page anymore. Grimly Liara thought that they weren’t even in the same book. Aria was refreshing. Most people sugarcoated life but not Aria. She was very insightful for a commando. Once back in her room, Liara couldn’t stop thinking of Bella Rossi. Such an intriguing human.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Liara was heading to breakfast when she came across the human. Bella was sitting by a tree with what looked like a sketch pad in her hands. She seemed deep in thought and didn’t hear Liara’s approach. 

“Hello. I am Dr. Liara T’Soni” Liara said as way of greeting. Bella jumped at the sound of her voice.

“Oh umm. Sorry. I got so sidetracked in my own thoughts, you made me jump. I’m Bella Rossi. It is nice to meet you Dr. Liara T’Soni.” she closed her sketch pad before Liara could really get a look at it. 

“I was just heading to breakfast. Would you like to join me?” Liara nervously waited for the answer. As a ‘pureblood’ many of her classmates teased and bullied her. She never expected the human to say yes. Others could just sense that Liara wasn’t accepted. The only reason anyone talked to her was to gain favor with her mother.

“I tried to get something earlier but I couldn’t figure out what I could eat. I wouldn’t want to pick out something gross.” Bella stated but didn’t say that she didn’t like others to laugh at her because they thought she was stupid. Just because she was the skyball captain didn’t mean she didn’t do well in her classes. At the same time, when she looked at the menu, she didn’t understand anything since it was written in some other language. All the other Asari in the dining hall were giving her strange looks. She decided to leave and just go draw some of her surroundings.

“Oh, I could help you pick out things to eat. I’m sure between the two of us, we can figure out something that will appeal to you. You will need food if you are going to do biotics today.” Liara pointed out.

“Well, umm ok. That would be helpful.”

20 minutes and some strange looks later, Bella and Liara sat down and began to eat their meals. Bella was eating something that was like omelet while Liara got some kind of fish with a side of fruit.

“So, are you some kind of field medic?” Bella asked.

“No, I am a doctor of Archeology. My main area of study is the Protheans and their extinction. For the last 37 years, I have been studying them and researching their extinction. Something seems off but I’m not sure exactly what it is yet. I will find the answer.” Liara animatedly stated. She didn’t notice that Bella’s face paled.

“Not to be rude, but how old are you?” Bella finally had the nerve to ask

“I hate to admit it but I’m only 93 years old.”

“WHAT! That is crazy! You don’t look that old.”   
“Asari live to be a thousand years old. So while 93 would be old by human standards, I am barely more than a child by Asari standards. My mother, Matriarch Benezia, is one of the powerful political figures of Thessia. As such, I have never been allowed to go on digs because it was too dangerous. The only reason my mother is allowing me to finally leave Thessia to go on a dig is because I agreed to take Commando Training. Enough about me, tell me more about you. How did you end up in Commando Training on Thessia?”

“It’s not that interesting. So when my mother was still pregnant with me, there was an eezo explosion on her ship. It was a small explosion but my mother happened to be on rounds at the time and was right in the blast radius. Biotics are not common in humans. The only way they develop is to be exposed to eezo. In most cases, it causes tumors or kills the person exposed. I develop biotics when I was 6 years old and was enrolled into the Academy for Biotics. I had a second exposure to eezo 3 years ago. Due to my age, the doctors didn’t want to install my biotic amp. For awhile that worked out because I could take medication that prevented biotic flares. However, recently I had a flare that was so strong, that all of my instructors had issues controlling it. Now that I’m 16”

“Wait you are only 16? Goddess you are just a baby”

“Well yes I am 16 but I am not a baby! In 2 years, I will be an adult by human standards. After you turn 13, you are no longer considered a child but what humans call a teenager.” Bella says as her anger at being called a baby ebbs away. 

“Sorry I apologize Bella. I didn’t mean to insult you. I was just surprised is all.”

“No worries. Anyway, the doctors felt now was the time to install the amp. After the surgery, it was decided that I would take Commando Training on Thessia because biotics are still new to humans and I’m one of the strongest human biotics. Not many humans would have the ability to teach me control or prevent major accidents from happening during training. I guess all things considered I’m lucky.” Bella said that last part as if she really didn’t feel that lucky.

“Why wouldn’t you consider yourself lucky?” Liara couldn’t imagine how someone could go through all that, and not feel more appreciative.

“Maybe Asari are different but for humans, those that are different don’t really fit in. In my case, I am teased and ridiculed for being a biotic. At school, I am surrounded by other biotics so I am generally accepted there. However, when I leave school for breaks, I have to deal with public perception and my family” Bella said with disgust.

“Is it really that bad?”

“There is a quote from To Kill A Mocking Bird. “You can choose your friends but you sho' can't choose your family, an' they're still kin to you no matter whether you acknowledge 'em or not, and it makes you look right silly when you don't.” I didn’t pick my family and in fact most of them don’t even want anything to do with me, but they are still family. I don’t tell many people why I don’t like my name but it has everything to do with who I was named after. My father died when I was 6 years old. His name was Anthony Rossi. I was daddy’s little girl, you know. I couldn’t do anything wrong by him and he would let me get away with so much that my mother wouldn’t. I loved and adored him.” Bella tears up as she remembers her father. It has been so long and she is starting to forget things like what he smelled like or the sound of his laugh.

“You don’t have to explain if it is too painful” Liara looked concerned. She didn’t know what it means to be a daddy’s girl since she never knew her father. She could tell that Bella loved her father and it caused her great pain to talk about it.

“It’s fine, really. I don’t talk about him much. Most people don’t understand but act like they do or it changes how they talk around me. Its just hard growing up without him. I want to make him proud of me like I was proud of him.”

“I don’t really know what it is like to lose a father because I never knew mine in the first place. I have tried to ask my mother about her but she won’t tell me anything. When I do ask her, she gets this sad look on her face and I can’t stand to cause her anymore pain so I stopped asking. It’s hard not knowing and wondering if she just didn’t want me.”

“Her?”

“Yes, Bella my other parent is Asari. I am what Asari called ‘pureblood’. Asari favor reproducing with other species over another Asari. It is believed that taking traits from other species, makes the Asari stronger as a whole. Many feel that my mother did something shameful by not choosing another species to father her only child. I can’t help but think because of the stigma associated with having a pureblood, that is why my father left.”

“Oh Dr. T’Soni, I am sure that was not the case. Maybe it was something else that prevented her from staying and getting to know her child. I am sure whatever it was, wasn’t easy for her. I do understand not being accepted. We were talking about why I hate my name but got a little sidetracked. Well, when I was born, I was named after my great grandmother on my father’s side. I was in an accident when my biotics developed at 6 years old. My father rushed to the hospital and my parents had a huge fight over me. Then my father left to go on a mission that he died during. I know that is why my mother looks so sad when I asked her about my father. My great grandmother, who I am named after, blames me for everything. If I wasn’t a biotic freak, then my father would still be alive. I told you that not everyone is accepting of biotics and my great grandmother is one of them. During my father’s funeral, she wouldn’t let me sit with the rest of the family and she is just a really mean spirited person. My father named me after her as a honor but I don’t like to be reminded of her. She corrects anyone who tries to call her Bella instead of Isabella. I go by Bella because she hates it so much. However, most of my friends call me by my middle name Skipper.”

“I’m so sorry Bella. I can’t imagine how awful it must be. Do you see her often?”

“Please call me Skipper. After I have unloaded all my crazy family baggage on you, I think you qualify as a friend at this point.”

“Umm alright, Skipper. I insist you call me Liara then. So do you still see her?” Liara said with a huge smile on her face. She didn’t have very many friends and Skipper was an interesting friend to have. Skipper seemed to be happy with them being friends too because she also broke out into a smile. Goddess, that smile was amazing and Liara could feel her stomach flutter. 

“No Liara, I don’t see Isabella much and for that I am glad. She lives on Mindoir with the rest of my father’s side of the family. Most of the time I am in classes at the Academy and only have breaks for holidays. If my mother happens to be on a mission when I am on holiday breaks, I usually stay with friends of my mother. My mom and I only really see Isabella about once a year. I don’t think my mother likes her that much either.”

They continued to talk for awhile when Liara looked at her watch.

“Goddess! Skipper we have been talking for 2 hours. If we don’t hurry we will be late for the first day of biotic training.” Liara said with panic in her voice.

“Wow. It doesn’t seem like that long. I really enjoyed our chat and maybe we can do this again sometime. I guess we should be going.” Skipper reluctantly got up and grabbed her sketch book.

“I would like that too. Now lets hurry. Aria is not a patient person.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so hopefully this answers elsamo31's question about why Bella hates her name. As far as the Aria being on Thessia comment from Ben, I have only played the games so some of the Mass Effect Universe timeline is beyond my knowledge. Normally I would take such comments into consideration and make changes but when I eventually get to ME2, I will be making some huge changes and Aria is an important part of that. 
> 
> Now for updating, I know I said I am working on this on the weekends. I may not update every week but I will try to make sure I update at least every other week. This is my first time writing something other than a paper from school and it is completely a different skill set. Now that I am actually writing my first fanfic, I appreciate those who have written a ton of them. Dialogue is much harder than I thought it would be and I haven't even gotten to fight scenes yet (which I'm dreading lol).
> 
> Please leave feedback :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Sorry for the delay. My computer did an update and I lost like half a chapter and then when rewriting it, I was dealing with family and work drama so it just wasn't coming out the same. I wasn't really in the right mindset for writing so I took a break and came back to it. I haven't really done much editing so there are probably typos. I just wanted to get an update done.

They arrived 5 minutes late to biotic training. Aria was indeed upset with them and made an example of what happens when you keep Aria waiting. 

“T’Soni, Rossi, front and center” Aria yelled out. They both slowly made their way to the front of the commando lines.

“NOW! Do you think I have all day to be sitting around waiting for you?” Aria’s anger was rising. T’Soni and Rossi hurried the rest of the way.

“I SHOULD NEVER BE KEPT WAITING!” Both just nodded too afraid to speak. “Tell me what was so important that you would be late to training?”

Rossi was the first to speak. “Ma’am, we were getting food and talking. We lost track of time. I apologize, ma’am. We didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

“You think you are so special?” Aria asked

“Pardon?” Rossi asked confused.

“Just because you two are not actual commandos, you feel that means you are special.”

“No, it isn’t like that Aria. We didn’t mean to be late. We hurried here as fast as we could when we saw the time.” T’Soni stated.

“Just to clear a couple things up. You are not special. You are no better than the dirt on my boot. In fact, that dirt is more special than you because it is on my boot. I don’t care who your parents are or where you came from. Understood?” Aria asked

“Yes, ma’am” Rossi responded  
 “Yes, Aria” T’Soni replied. Her voice quivering a little.

“Apparently you two are even out of shape. If you really hurried, then you are too slow. Not surprising since you two are so lazy. However, I will fix that.” Aria turned to the rest of the commandos. “Since these two are lazy and were late, instead of the awesome biotic training session I had planned, we will be doing a physical workout. Then maybe these two slackers will be on time in the future.” All the commandos groaned and gave T’Soni and Rossi death stares. T’Soni and Rossi were nervous because whatever was ahead of them, would not be pleasant.

 

Several hours later

Liara and Skipper were finally finished with Aria’s torture and heading to get food.

“I didn’t think I would survive that workout today. At one point, I thought that just giving up would have been better. Only my mother’s face when she found out she was right and I failed kept me from doing it.” Liara stated with sadness in her voice.  
 “Hey, I will not let you fail! We are in this together. I thought about it too, you know. Quitting today. I just couldn’t risk it. If I don’t learn what I was sent here to learn, I will not get another opportunity. It goes farther than just wanting something for myself. I have to think about all those around me who depend on me to control my biotics. It isn’t like here or at the academy where there are always other biotics around. Most of humanity doesn’t have biotics. If I have a powerful flare, I would injure or kill people. I almost hurt someone with my last flare before I got my amp.” Skipper says with worry in her voice.

“That must be a difficult responsibility to have at any age much less as a teenager.” Liara stated with sympathy in her tone.

“It is, but I don’t imagine it is much better for a Matriarch’s daughter.”

“True. Sometimes I feel like it would be easier if I lived a different life. I am not the next political figure for my people like my mother would like. I don’t want to sound ungrateful but its just hard when you can’t live up to your mother’s expectations.”

“Ha! Do I ever understand that. My path in life is already decided. I will go into the Alliance when I turn 18. That is what my mother and the Academy expect from me. I wish things were different. I can’t imagine killing someone for real. Don’t get me wrong, I have been in a fight or two. However, they were still breathing when it was all over. Can I tell you a secret?” Skipper asked in a low voice. Liara almost didn’t hear her.

“You can always tell me your secrets Skipper. We are friends after all. Right?” Liara asked worry in her voice. 

“Yes we are friends. Sometimes, friends aren’t always real friends and they lie to you or betray your trust. I have had some friends like that. Tell me Liara T’Soni, are you a real friend that I can share my secrets with or a fake?” Skipper’s deep blue eyes searched Liara’s face and eyes for the truth.

Liara was a little stunned by the question. She never really had any friends so she didn’t know if what Skipper said was true. The more she thought about it, what Skipper was implying was similar to those who talked to her to gain favor with her mother. She decided the best way to answer was with the truth even if that made Skipper think she was a loser just like everyone else.

“Skipper, I don’t really know. I mean, I have never had a friend before. I like the idea of it. I think I could make a great friend but I just don’t know. If you are afraid I will share your secrets with others, there is little fear of that.” Liara honestly answered.

“I believe you. I am the captain of the Skyball team at my school. By all accounts, I am in the popular crowd. However, all those ‘friends’ are only my friends for their own popularity. The couple of times I thought I found a real friend, they betrayed me to make themselves look better. It makes it hard to trust anyone with important stuff, you know?”

“I understand completely. I already told you I don’t have friends. However, that doesn’t stop others from trying to talk to me just to gain favor with my mother. I guess it would be similar to your situation.”

“Yes, exactly! Ok so now that we got it out of the way that we are real friends,” Skipper said with a laugh. “I will tell you my secret. I don’t want to go into the Alliance. I just want to be an artist. I like drawing and I can play the piano. Please don’t laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?” Liara asked confused.

“Well the couple people I have told laughed at me.” Skipper was a little embarrassed to admit it.

“As your friend, I say those people are mean. If you want to be an artist, be an artist.” Liara said with a bright smile. The smile took Skipper’s breath away and Liara’s words made her speechless. All Skipper could do was smile.

Before the silence got to be awkward, they arrived at the dining hall. Liara and Skipper ordered their food. After they finished getting their food, they found a small table available. No sooner did they sit to eat than 3 commandos walked over.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? You think after being late today and causing us to have to go through that workout, you can just show up to eat? I don’t think so.” The head commando said.

“Shiala, please don’t start. We are just trying to eat our food and then go to bed. We are not here to cause trouble.” Liara said trying to prevent any farther issues.

“You are not welcomed in the dining hall. Even if Matriarch Benezia is your mother. You are still pureblood! Maybe that is why you were late today. Poor little pureblood can’t tell time. Why don’t you go cry to your mother. Now you and the human should leave.” Shiala stated. Liara got up and fled from the dining hall. Rossi followed but not before giving Shiala a disgusted look. Her main concern was making sure Liara was ok. She would have to deal with Shiala later.

Skipper walks outside to find Liara crying. “Don’t listen to them. They are just jealous of you.” Skipper bent down to help Liara up. She proceeds to pull Liara into her arms to provide her comfort. Liara’s tears start flowing faster until she can’t cry anymore. After a couple minutes of silence, Skipper pushes Liara back a space so she can look at her face. Skipper begins to wipe away the tears still on Liara’s cheek. Startled at the contact, Liara jumps a little. Skipper’s hand falls away  
 “Sorry, I didn’t mean to invade your personal space. I’m not even sure if what I did is something taboo in Asari culture. I just...I mean, you were crying and...”

“Skipper, it is ok. I just was surprised is all. Nobody has done something like that for me before. Usually that is something only a partner or family member would do.” Liara started to blush. She should care that Skipper made such a gesture but for some reason, it felt acceptable coming from her friend.

“Oh umm. I will do better to remember in the future. It is acceptable for friends to provide comfort when another friend is hurting in my culture. I wasn’t trying to make a move on you or anything.” Skipper looked away embarrassed.

“Skipper, really it is fine. I found that I do not mind. It was nice of you to provide me comfort and strength when I needed it. I only hope I can be the kind of friend you need as well.”

“That I have no doubt Liara. So far, you are the best friend I have ever had. I can’t tell you what it means to me to have your support even in my art. Nobody has ever really done that for me before.” Skipper smiled at Liara. “Now, what are we going to do about food? We can’t go back in there and I don’t think it is a good idea to skip dinner after the workout from today.”

“Well, I have an idea. I will check to make sure it is ok. Why don’t we freshen up and meet back up in say one hour?” Liara asked

“Ok, sounds good. See you then!” Skipper said with excitement.


	5. Chapter 5

One hour later, Skipper is waiting for Liara outside Liara’s door. She had enough time to shower and change. She decided since they were done with training for the night, that she would wear a pair black skinny jeans, blue blouse and a black leather jacket. Hair hair was down with a slight curl to the ends. The layers allowed the blue streak in her hair to frame her face. 

She wasn’t sure what exactly Liara had planned but dressy casual should fit most situations. However, her feelings changed when she saw Liara. Liara was wearing a silver dress that showed off her body in an elegant way. When Liara moved towards Skipper, the dress swayed with her body and suddenly Skipper wished they were going on a date instead of just friends going to dinner because they were kicked out of the dining hall. She still didn’t even know where they were going.

“Wow! You look beautiful. I think I need to change. Suddenly I feel under dressed.” Skipper said rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

“Do not worry Skipper. Other than commando training outfits, this is kind of clothes my mother provides for me. One of the reasons I can’t wait to go on a dig, is I will get to wear the dig uniforms. I find them more comfortable to these clothes. I like what you are wearing. It really brings out the blue of your eyes and those pants do nice things for your shape. And that jacket is going to be a big hit.” Liara observes that the comment causes Skipper’s cheeks to turn pink. “Shall we go?”

“Umm, yes. Mind telling me where we are going for dinner?” Skipper asked

“Oh well, I hope you don’t mind but we will be eating with Aria” Liara states as if it is a normal occurrence.

“WHAT?” Skipper exclaims.

“Y-yes, is that a problem?”

“Well lets see. She basically said we were trash and tortured us with the hardest workout I have ever gone through. You may not be an athlete, but trust me, she was trying to kill us today. At the very least, she get us to quit. She hates us and now we are having dinner with her. Nope, no problem at all.” Skipper says with sarcasm.

“I’m glad there isn’t a problem but she doesn’t hate us. Lets go. We don’t want to be late again.” Liara states not catching the sarcasm.

“Wait Liara, I was being sarcastic when I said that. Meaning, yes I do have a problem with eating with Aria.” 

“Right now we don’t have time to argue over this. We don’t want to be late with Aria again. It isn’t as bad as you think it will be.” 

They walked for a bit in silence until they came to a small building. It didn’t look like much from the outside. It wasn’t much bigger than a shed. Liara walked up to the door and knocked in a certain pattern. Then the door slid open and Aria was on the other side. She ushered them in quickly and closed the door. Skipper saw immediately what Liara was talking about. Aria was wearing a white leather jacket in a similar still to Skipper’s jacket. Skipper felt a little more at ease.

“So, Little Wing, you have had a bad day I take it. Tell me all about it. Not the part at biotic training because I know all about that” Aria stated amused. Skipper was interested in the nickname. She would have to remember to talk to Liara about that later and apparently how close she and Aria really were.

“After training we were told that we were not welcomed at the dining hall. It was..” Liara started to say more when Skipper jumped in to stop her. She knew from experience that telling on Shiala and her friends would not help the situation. Skipper would let it go for now and come up with a solution later.

“Thank you for letting us have dinner. As she said we were not welcomed and I believe everything will be better once we have eaten.” Skipper tried to convey to Liara not to talk about the rest and Liara understood for once her silent message. 

“Alright. I know what it is like to have the rest of the commandos hate you kiddo but maybe now you will remember to be on time. I warned you this would happen and that I would not be nice about it.” Aria sternly stated.

“Y-yes, Aria I know. I just wasn’t really expecting the rest. However, I can say that I will handle the rest of commando training better. Skipper and I are friends and she will not let me fail nor I her.” Liara proudly stated.

“Is that so? It looked a lot like Skipper was going to quit at one point today. Too much for you, Skipper?” Aria asked interested in how the girl would react to the jab.

“Yes, ma’am. I was going to quit but then I remember my responsibility. If I don’t get help with my biotics from you, I will probably hurt or kill someone.” Skipper said

“I want to tell you something, Skipper. Sometimes following orders and being responsible are important but you also have to think for yourself. You need to decide if those orders are the right ones. Sometimes it is better to kill or hurt someone now so that they don’t kill or hurt others. That being said, follow my orders. I know what I am doing. I know today was rough and I was extremely hard on everyone. However, you will be stronger because of it. Not tomorrow because you will feel like you have been tossed out an airlock tomorrow but one day soon.” Aria said

“Liara was right” Skipper said

“Oh and what did Liara say?”

“Just that you aren’t what you seem. I thought you would be hard to get along with but your ok.” Skipper said.

“Yeah, well you both are still young. Otherwise I would use cruder language and I wouldn’t be having you over for dinner. One day soon you will see the way of the world. In the meantime, it is my job to help prepare you for it. Skipper, have you learned mediations for biotics?” Aria asked with interest.

“Only just briefly. I want to work on that and control. Also, at some point I want to test my biotic strength. I think it is important to know my limits and capabilities.”

Aria was impressed with Skipper. When she was older, Skipper would be able to command people to do great things. She could already see it with Liara. If Aria were smart, she would keep track of this human because she could be a powerful ally later.

“I believe that is a great place to start tomorrow, if you are on time” Aria stated

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to be late again. I think you were trying to kill us today!” Skipper said still with a little anger in her voice.

“Trust me Skipper, if I wanted to kill you, you would know it. I have one rule and it is very easy to remember. DON’T FUCK WITH ARIA!”

“Umm ok. No worries there Aria. I don’t have any plans to get that close to you. Not that you aren’t pretty or anything but...You know I am just going to stop talking now.” Skipper said cheeks warming in embarrassment. While she did find Aria interesting, she would never consider her a love interest. That being said, Skipper wasn’t experienced with sex and didn’t want to show her lack of knowledge in front of Liara.

“HAHAHAHA. Goddess that was a good laugh. Listen Skipper, I didn’t mean it in the physical way. I don’t put up with anyone’s shit and as long as you don’t start shit with me, I will leave you be. However, today you were late. That is fucking with me. I had plans for the class today but having to discipline you caused me to have to arrange everything. I hate that so yes I made the workout difficult on purpose.” Aria seems to hesitate before continuing. “Although for a 16 year old, you did impress me with your ability to take your punishment without complaining. I expected that you would be like most of the other humans I met. They are always complaining their lives are too hard and poor me. It is really sickening. But no! You have to prove you are different on the first day and outshine even my commandos. I heard them bitching about the workout and saw all the evil stares you were getting.”

“Oh umm it really isn’t anything special. You even said so yourself. I just know what I need to do so therefore I will endure whatever to get it done.” Skipper rubs the back of her neck. Clearly she is uncomfortable with compliments. Liara begins to wonder why it is so difficult for Skipper. Surely a top athlete, smart, strong and beautiful person such as Skipper gets compliments from friends or significant others. Liara was about to disagree with Skipper about it not being special but Aria beat her to it.

“Skipper, I have worked with many Asari commandos over the years. I have worked with Dr. Chakwas and other humans in your Alliance. I have worked with Battlemasters of the Krogan clans. Turians from the Hierarchy and Salarians from the STG. When I say you impress me, don’t argue with me. Just know that if you work hard enough, you could be special. I don’t say this, well, umm ever. However, you have an instinct that is hard to train. I saw some of it in your thought process. Most people would want to just use their biotics if they had as much power as Dr. Chakwas believes you have. You are different in that you worry about hurting others and want to understand your limits. Using this time to do that kind of training is intense and my guess is that you have figured this out. Am I right?” Aria questioned Skipper.

“Y-yes. I know that I want to test my strength, endurance, control and whatever else I think of along the way. Once I leave after these 2 weeks, I will be left alone with these biotics. There isn’t any known human who is as strong as me in biotics. What if I don’t learn control and my biotics hurt someone? Kill someone? I know that I will eventually be used to kill others, enemies of the Alliance. I am to join the Alliance on my 18th birthday just like my mother and father did before me. I know what is expected of me and I will do my duty to the best of my ability. In order to try and save as many people as I can, I need to know my limits. I can’t get into a fight using biotics and then blackout because I didn’t know my limits. In the Alliance, that would cause my barriers to fail and potentially kill those soldiers that are depending on me. This is my opportunity to figure out what I can do and learn from those who have centuries more experience.”

Aria searched Skipper’s face to see if she was joking or serious. The serious expression on Skipper’s face told Aria everything she needed to know. This girl was special and Aria was going to train her to be the best. 

“I will teach you what I know. It will be a grueling training for you. I will push you past all your limits. Two weeks is not a lot of time to teach you everything but if we can get the basics down and maybe a couple of Asari mediations, you will be more prepared than other human biotics. Now lets eat before it gets cold.” Aria said clearly ending all discussion.


End file.
